Topic

PSYCHOMETRICS In History
& Systems In Psychology
 Contents
 Definition Of Psychometrics
 Examples Of Psychometrics
 Psychometric Test Used For?
 Types Of Psychometrics
(i)Aptitude & Ability Tests
(ii)Personality & Interest Tests
 Definition
 The word psychometric is formed from the Greek
words for mental and measurement. 
Psychometric tests attempt to objectively measure
aspects of your mental ability or your personality.
  Psychometrics is the field of study concerned with
the theory and technique
of psychological measurement, which includes the
measurement of knowledge, abilities, attitudes,
and personality traits.
 Examples Of Psychometrics
• Examples of Psychometrics. The term
psychometrics refers to the design and
interpretation of tests that measure
psychological values such as aptitude, ability,
personality, memory, happiness and
intelligence. These tests are designed for, and
given in, mental health, education and
employment settings.
 Psychometric Tests Used For?
• Psychometric tests are seldom used in
isolation and represent just one of the
methods used by employers in the selection
process. The usual procedures for selecting
candidates still apply, for example: A job is
advertised and you are invited to send in your
resume, which is then checked to see if the
organization thinks that your experience and
qualifications are suitable.
• Psychometric tests are a standard and
scientific method used to measure individuals'
mental capabilities and behavioral
style. Psychometric tests are designed to
measure candidates' suitability for a role
based on the required personality
characteristics and aptitude (or cognitive
abilities).
•  These tests aim to measure attributes like
intelligence, aptitude and personality,
providing a potential employer with an insight
into how well you work with other people,
how well you handle stress, and whether you
will be able to cope with the intellectual
demands of the job.
 Types Of Psychometrics
• There are two main types of psychometric
tests:
 Aptitude & Ability Tests
 Ability Tests – Measure your ability to perform
or carry out different tasks.
 Aptitude Tests
Aptitude and ability tests are designed to assess
your logical reasoning or thinking performance.
They consist of multiple choice questions and
are administered under exam conditions. They
are strictly timed and a typical test might allow
30 minutes for 30 or so questions.
• The main types of aptitude & ability test used
in selection are:
• Tests of General or Global Ability (also called
"g", intelligence, IQ)
• Tests of Specific Cognitive abilities (Abstract
Reasoning, Verbal Reasoning, Numerical
Reasoning).
Verbal Reasoning- These include questions which test
your ability to spell words correctly, use correct
grammar, understand analogies and follow detailed
written instructions.

Numeric Reasoning - These include questions on

basic arithmetic, number sequences and simple
mathematics. In more complex numerical critical
reasoning questions, blocks of information are
provided that require interpretation.
• Abstract Reasoning - These tests are usually based on
diagrams and measure your ability to identify the underlying
logic of a pattern and then determine the solution.

Spatial Reasoning - These tests measure your ability to

manipulate shapes in two dimensions or to visualize three-
dimensional objects presented as two-dimensional pictures.

Mechanical Reasoning - These tests are designed to assess

your knowledge of physical and mechanical principles.
• Aptitude tests are designed so that very few
people will be able to complete all of the
questions, and the problems usually become
more complex as the test progresses. Don’t be
concerned if you do not complete all of the
questions - its the number of correct answers
that matters.
 Personality & Interest Tests
• Personality- Personality tests measure unobservable
psychological factors such as an individual’s
attitudes, values, beliefs, and behaviors in relation to
others.
• Interest - Interest tests or interest inventories
measure a person’s preferences and motivations,
including what types of activities a person enjoys,
the products he or she are most likely to purchase,
and motivational factors such as things that make an
individual feel happy versus neutral.
 Personality Questionnaires

The principle behind personality questionnaires is that it is

possible to quantify your personality by asking you about
your feelings, thoughts and behavior. You will be presented
with statements
A) strongly B) describing
disagree C) various
neutralsways
A) True B) False  of feeling or acting
D) agree E) strongly
disagree agree
and asked to answer each one on a scale. For example;
1. I enjoy taking risks?
 A) True B) False
2. I like to be the center of attention?
A) strongly B) disagree C) neutrals D) agree E) strongly
disagree agree
• The number of questions you are expected to
answer varies from about 50 to 500 depending on
the particular questionnaire used by the employer.

Personality has a significant role to play in providing

answers to questions the employer may have
regarding your enthusiasm and motivation as well
as providing an insight into whether you are going to
fit in, in terms of your personality, attitude and
general work style.
What types of employers use psychometric tests?
• Psychometric testing is now used by over 80%
of the Fortune 500 companies in the USA and
by over 75% of the Times Top 100 companies
in the UK. Tests are used by many employers
across most sectors, including IT, engineering,
energy, banking, consultancy, accountancy,
the civil service and other public sector, fast
moving consumer goods and retail.
 Advantages Of Psychometric Testing

• Deeper knowledge of the individual.

• Confirmation of gut feelings you may have had
from face to face interactions.
• Ability to benchmark candidates against each
career counseling.
• Executive coaching.
• Development future leaders.
• Team Building.
• Recruiting incumbents without biasness with
accuracy about his performance and
behaviour.
Disadvantages Of Psychometric Testing

• Some candidates do not always answer

truthfully.
• Does not guarantee success simply because
the candidate does well.
• This is the especially the case when accessing
the candidate’s personality.
• There are many tests that claim to have
“Psychometric Test” but are not.
• If there is a lack of training in those giving
tests may not correct tests.